


Reason To Believe

by Laurasauras



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-14 00:52:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14759490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laurasauras/pseuds/Laurasauras
Summary: It's hard being a hopeless romantic in love with one of your closest friends.Jade x Nepeta highschool au with much pining and a happy ending.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an unofficial sequel to my DaveKat fic [Rooftops and Invitations](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14123664).

It’s hard, being gay and having a friend like Jade. She’s so enthusiastic and affectionate and beautiful, but she’s also … probably straight. Probably. You sigh and lean back into Equius’s chest, because watching her run up and tackle hug Dave the same way she does with you is hurting your heart.

‘Nepeta,’ Equius scolds.

‘Equius,’ you mimic.

‘I was nearly finished.’

‘Have I crushed them?’

He hesitates.

‘No, but I’ll have to start the braid again if you want to wear them to class.’

‘What do you think?’

‘I think you look beautiful flowers or no flowers,’ he says.

You smile and tip your head back to give him a kiss on the cheek. You love Equius. If this was a hundred years ago and you had to marry a man, you would absolutely marry him, just so you could be best friends together. He blushes when you kiss him and pulls away a bit.

‘We’re in public,’ he says.

‘That was the least scandalous kiss anyone has ever given anyone,’ you say.

His lips thin and you sit back up straight so he can finish with your hair.

Ugh, but there’s Jade again, that distraction didn’t last long at all.

‘What’s wrong?’ Equius asks.

You shrug your shoulders. Anyone could hear, you don’t want to say.

‘Is it Jade?’ he whispers, close to your ear.

You nod slightly.

‘That is rather a bind,’ he says, as casually as he can. ‘If only you could ask her without it seeming like you were asking her …’

‘Yes!’ you say. You nearly leap to your feet, but Equius’s hands are still in your hair. ‘Hurry up, I have an idea!’

‘Tell it to me first,’ he says sternly, but you feel your hair being tugged with slightly more urgency. He always pretends to disapprove but he’s got your back.

‘She’s talking to Dave, I’m going to ask Dave if he wants to join the LGBT plus club and then casually ask her if she wants to join too.’

‘Casually,’ Equius repeats.

‘I can be casual!’ you insist. You can. You just don’t see the point in pretending you aren’t super excited about exciting things!

Equius makes a little huffy noise of disbelief, but he finally ties your braid off and stands, offering you a hand up. He walks with you and you roll your eyes. You don’t need supervision, god.

‘Oh my god, Nepeta!’ Jade squeals. ‘Look at your hair, that’s so cute!’ She grabs both little plaits in her hands and gently flicks them side to side. You feel yourself blush and look up at Equius for help.

‘Nepeta is always cute,’ Equius says. ‘But I think flowers suit her very nicely.’

You stare at the floor helplessly.

‘Ooh, are we embarrassing Nepeta?’ Dave says. ‘Girl, you are looking fine today.’

You stick your tongue out at him.

‘Is it less creepy now that I have a boyfriend?’ he says.

‘That’s what I wanted to talk to you about!’ you say, seeing an opening and hopefully a distraction. ‘Did you want to join the LGBT plus club?’

‘Is Karkat in it?’ Dave asks.

‘No, but he’s not in any club. But I am! And Equius, and a couple other people!’

‘I’m not sure it’s my scene …’ Dave says. ‘You wanna start a furry group though, Jade and I are there, right Jade?’

‘Dave!’ Jade says, squirming out from under his arm. You’re … pretty sure he wasn’t being serious. Unfortunately.

‘Would you join the LGBT plus club, Jade?’ you ask, as innocent as you can. You have it on good authority that you can be pretty damn innocent!

‘Sure! I support gay rights!’

You work real hard to keep a happy smile on as you thank her and you’re kind of relieved when the bell signalling the end of lunch interrupts the conversation.

arsenicCatnip [AC] began pestering centaursTesticle [CT]

AC: :33 < *ac twitches her friendly whiskers at ct*

CT: D → *CT flicks his magnificent tail at AC*

AC: :33 < *ac smooches up against cts foreleg befur kneading the ground into a comfurtable shape. she looks up at him and says, why are girls so confusing*

CT: D → I don’t know

AC: :33 < rawr! shes so pretty and she hugs me all the time and i dont want to confront her because what if she stops?

CT: D → She would be a f001 to reject someone as wonderful as you

AC: :33 < but if shes straight thats not her fault or her being foolish! you cant help these things!

AC: :33 < as we both very well know!

CT: D → I don’t like to see you so unhappy

AC: :33 < im not actually unhappy!

AC: :33 < everything else is going really well!

AC: :33 < im so happy for dave and karkat! even though it was a lot of work updating my shipping book!

CT: D → I know it makes you happy when other people are happy, but you cannot continue to use other’s happiness as evidence to your own mental state

AC: :33 < im not! i dont do that!

CT: D → Yes, you do

AC: :33 < do not!

CT: D → Yes, you do

AC: :33 < do not!

CT: D → Yes, you do

AC: :33 < do not!

CT: D→ This is f001ish. We said we were giving this up

AC: :33 < bah sometimes its fun to be foolish!

AC: :33 < i like that we can still be silly when everyone else went and grew up

CT: D→ I know

CT: D→ I’m sorry we can’t just love each other

AC: :33 < that would be easier!

AC: :33 < but i like what we have!

AC: :33 < you cant help that youre a boy and i cant help that i want other things in a relationship but we work together

AC: :33 < would you really be okay if i got a girlfriend?

CT: D→ So long as she was okay with you being my Nepeta still

AC: :33 < if she wasnt then i wouldnt want anything to do with her!

CT: D→ I would understand, if you had to break up with me. I want you to be happy

AC: :33 < nope! were a package deal!

AC: :33 < <>

CT: D→ <>

AC: :33 < *ac purrs and rubs her cheek against cts face*

CT: D→ Sometimes I wish that my fursona could purr also

AC: :33 :DD

turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering arsenicCatnip [AC]

TG: yo so i made a mistake

TG: told bro how karkats mom nearly threw him a “coming out” party

TG: so of course now hes throwing me one

AC: yay!

TG: yeah well you would think that

AC: parties are fun dave!

TG: yeah

TG: anyway i think its hella ironic to have a traditional teen movie style parents away trash the place house party with all of its toxic masculinity and drinking culture problems to celebrate me discovering the joys of dick

AC: ://

TG: yeah sorry that was a bit vulgar

TG: no wait youre older than me you can fucking handle a bit of vulgarity and it wasnt even that bad

TG: but anyway im going to basically invite everyone at school but i dont care about any of them

TG: i do actually want you to come

AC: do you mind if i bring equius?

TG: im not inviting him personally see because i dont want to give him the wrong idea and have him thinking that i enjoy his company or anything like that but i kinda assumed that if i was inviting you he would be there because thats how it works right

TG: but you have to keep him

TG: you know

TG: from being too weird

AC: a job im happy to have!

TG: he doesnt deserve you

TG: i mean that as a compliment to you not so much as an insult to him

TG: but not *not* an insult to him

AC: hes gotten a lot better!

AC: he wasnt comfortable in his own skin because he didnt conform to societies expectations and that made him try and push those expectations supurr hard onto everybody else!

AC: but now he has accepted himself and is aware of it when hes acting like a snob and tries to keep that in check!

AC: im sure you can understand that!

TG: supurr

TG: god damn youre adorable

AC: whoops!

TG: i dont mind if you cat pun every now and again

AC: …

TG: yeah well i can see what youre saying even if i dont really get it and i think im doing pretty well accepting the rest of the alphabet soup that comes after the lesbians and gays

TG: but youll come to the party right

TG: jadell be there if that makes any difference

AC: :OO

TG: yeah i know your secret big whoop

AC: does jade know???????

TG: omg slow your roll

TG: i dont think so i only know because karkat let it slip

AC: :OO

arsenicCatnip [AC] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CT]

AC: I AM VERY CROSS WITH YOU!

CG: HOLY SHIT, CAPITAL LETTERS FROM NEPETA.

CG: I MUST HAVE FUCKED UP.

AC: why did you tell dave about my crush on jade!!!!!

CG: OH SHIT.

CG: WHY WOULD HE TELL YOU …

CG: SORRY, THAT’S NOT THE ISSUE.

CG: I DIDN’T MEAN TO, HE WAS JUST BEING A COMPLETE AND UTTER DICK, AS PER FUCKING USUAL. HIS BROTHER THINKS IT’S FUNNY TO PRETEND TO BE A HOMOPHOBE, NO IDEA WHY, AND DAVE HAS ACCIDENTALLY TAKEN SOME OF IT SERIOUSLY.

CG: WHATEVER, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW BEING GAY IS ACTUALLY ALLOWED, BECAUSE THE STUPID FUCKUP ACTUALLY NEEDS THAT TO BE SAID AND HE SAID SOMETHING STUPID ABOUT LESBIANS HAVING IT EASIER AND I FELT THE NEED TO SHOVE THAT UP HIS GASTRIC SAC SO I DID BUT IN MY RANT I MAY HAVE ACCIDENTALLY USED YOU AS AN EXAMPLE.

CG: IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL ANY BETTER, HE CAME TO HIS SENSES AND REALISED THAT FETISHISING SOMETHING IS NOT THE SAME AS ACCEPTING IT.

AC: i guess i dont mind too much

AC: daves really nice!

AC: but i would really hate it if jade heard a rumour about me liking her and things got weird

AC: that would be even worse than if i told her myself and things got weird!

AC: at least that way i would have been brave and i could tell her that i dont expect anything!

CG: YEAH, WELL, I SWORE HIM TO SECRECY.

CG: APPARENTLY HE DIDN’T THINK THAT INCLUDED YOU. 

AC: i can see why that might be confusing! why would he need to keep it a secret when i already know?

CG: YEAH.

CG: I AM REALLY SORRY, THOUGH. 

AC: i know!

CG: YOU DON’T KNOW THAT SHE’S STRAIGHT, THOUGH.

CG: LOOK AT DAVE.

CG: AND SHE’S NEVER EVEN HAD A BOYFRIEND I DON’T THINK.

AC: i think its your job to look at dave now!! :PP

AC: its so hard because she is so affectionate and i dont want her to think shes not allowed to be that way because shes really not leading me on or anything

AC: i think i would like her even if she was as bad at hugging people as rose is!

CG: I KNOW. DAVE CLAIMS TO VERY MUCH UNDERSTAND HER APPEAL. ACTUALLY, IT WAS KIND OF INSULTING JUST HOW MUCH HE UNDERSTANDS HER APPEAL. I HAD TO REMIND HIM THAT I HAVE FEELINGS AND HE SHOULDN’T SHIT ON THEM.

You giggle and let the conversations slide into vague I’m-still-here-but-not-talking status. You pull out your sketch book and flick through the pages, not sure if you can be bothered starting something new.

God, you have so many pictures of Jade. You sketch all your friends at school, but so often it’s her. And then you take those sketches and add animal features to them because you’re a weirdo. Jade almost always becomes a wolf, it just suits her. Sometimes it’s just fluffy white ears and a tail, but even when she’s absolutely just a wolf you can tell it’s her.

You have a picture of Dave pulling Karkat’s hair from before they were even together that you turned into a crow pulling a cat’s tail. You’re not sure why you didn’t see that they were going to be a couple, it was really obvious now you think about it! You guess you were still holding out hope for Karkat and John to end up together. Karkat never does tell you his own feelings, even though he’s perfectly happy to speculate about everyone else.

Karkat’s usually a cat, like you. He’s like a tiny kitten playing at spiking his fur up, spitting and hissing like he thinks he’s a lion.

Equius is a horse, at his own request. Sometimes he’s a centaur, sometimes just a horse. You have a million pictures of your two fursonas curled up together. His background is one of the ones you’re more proud of.

Your computer beeps to tell you you have a new message.

gardenGnostic [GG] is requesting video chat with arsenicCatnip [AC]

You squeak and press accept before you can freak out about it. Jade grins at you in wonderfully high focus. Her camera is a lot better than yours. You sincerely hope the fuzziness disguises how you’re sure you’re blushing.

‘Hi, Nep!’ she says. ‘Has Dave told you about the party?’

You nod and force yourself to smile like normal. It’s actually so easy to talk to her once you get out of your head, but the first 30 seconds you don’t seem to have any brain function!

‘Yeah, it sounds like fun!’ you say.

‘What are you hugging there?’ she asks. ‘Oh, is it your sketchbook? What are you drawing?’

‘Uh, nothing yet! I hadn’t … chosen …’

The way her hair is at the moment, all crazy and falling out of her bun, her face slightly pink like she’s only just taken her makeup off (she trusts you enough to see her bare face and it hurts your heart), she’s just so gorgeous and so Jade that you have to draw her.

‘Can I draw you?’ you ask.

‘I’m kind of a mess right now,’ she says, her hand going to her hair.

‘No!’ you say.

She freezes and smiles sheepishly.

‘Um! I mean, I’d like to draw you as you are now! If that’s okay.’

‘Oh,’ she says. ‘Sure! But can we talk while you do it? I don’t think I can just …’ she smiles awkwardly and waves her hand.

‘Sure,’ you say, smiling nice and big to be reassuring. ‘What were you gonna talk to me about when you called?’

She drops her elbow onto the desk and leans on the heel of her hand. You take a screenshot just in case you can’t sketch quick enough.

‘Uh … Just about Dave’s party I guess? I mean, his 16th was pretty wild, do you think his Bro is gonna go all out again?’

‘Rose says that Dave’s Bro throws parties to compensate for his inability to express sincere emotions. Kanaya said she made him cry and she’s not allowed over anymore.’

‘Kanaya’s jokes are really deadpan though …’

You make a humming noise, moving your pencil over paper as quickly as you can. If you get the outline of the pose right you can fill the rest in later.

‘Did you want to get ready together?’ Jade asks.

‘Oh, are you gonna get dressed up?’

‘Well, last time there was a red carpet and photographers and stuff, so …’

‘I don’t really have anything fancy,’ you say, eyes on your paper.

‘We could go shopping? I think you’re too small to borrow something from me … Maybe Terezi has something? You’re similar sizes, aren’t you?’

‘Yeah, maybe I’ll message her …’

You don’t realise you’ve gone quiet again until you meet Jade’s eyes again. She’s smiling at you fondly.

‘Sorry …’ you say.

‘Will you show me what you’ve done?’

You look down at your sketch. It’s actually pretty good. Lifelike. You flip it over towards the screen and hide your face behind it. You don’t know if you want to see her reaction or not.

‘You made me far too pretty, Nep,’ she says with a gentle laugh.

‘I …’

You peek at her again. God, you’re so in love with her.


	2. Chapter 2

You ask Kanaya to come to your house and help you find something to wear for Dave’s party. Equius comes too, to make sure you don’t agree with her out of politeness. You don’t think that will be a problem, but you know Kanaya doesn’t mind him so you’re happy. She brings Rose, which makes you nervous. Rose has a very different style to you. And their whole situation thrills you from a shipping perspective but kind of baffles you in real life.

You sit on your bed next to Equius while the two girls flick your coathangers around and make thoughtful noises you don’t know how to interpret. You duck your face into your hoodie until your nose is covered. There’s basically no way they’ll let you wear something you can do this in.

‘What look are you going for?’ Rose asks. ‘That’s an important consideration.’

‘Um …’ you say.

Equius tugs on your hoodie so your voice isn’t muffled. You give him a little annoyed look, even though he’s right.

‘I want to look … pretty?’

‘You always look pretty,’ Rose says with a wave of her hand, as if the compliment means nothing. You blush and duck into your hoodie again. ‘Well, cute. Cute’s the word, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, cute is the word,’ Kanaya says. 

‘You’ve never asked for our help before. Is there a girl you’re trying to impress?’

You make a little uncertain noise and Rose smiles wider. She leans against your cupboard.

‘Are you being awkward because it’s one of us?’ she asks wickedly.

‘No!’ you say. You lean into Equius’s side. The benefits of being a small girl with a giant best friend: you always have somewhere to hide. Of course, everyone always knows to look for Equius if they want to find you in a crowd, but still.

‘Damn, that would have been very good for my ego,’ Rose sighs.

‘Your ego doesn’t need any more nourishment,’ Kanaya says. She pulls out a skirt thoughtfully.

Rose ignores her.

‘The thing is, it would be very easy to  _ She’s All That _ you. Based off your neck and the size of your clothes in here, you must be slim under your jumpers. Do those start out as Equius’s, by the way?’

‘Sometimes,’ Equius says.

‘And you don’t wear makeup, so that will make a difference. But do we  _ want _ to do that?’

‘Rose, darling, she came for fashion advice, not the Spanish Inquisition.’

‘No one expects the Spanish Inquisition,’ you whisper to Equius. He chuckles.

‘No, they got plenty of warning, they just failed to take it seriously,’ Rose says, completely missing your reference but catching your whisper regardless. ‘And besides, it’s a fair point. We don’t want to make Nepeta uncomfortable or not herself just to catch some flighty broad’s eye.’

‘Yes, why not make her uncomfortable to satisfy your curiosity instead,’ Kanaya says. ‘How about this?’

She’s holding a plain black singlet with a plain black pleated skirt. You sit up properly to look at it.

‘It’s not very colourful,’ you say.

‘No,’ Kanaya says, her lips quirking up with amusement. You suppose that was pretty obvious.

‘I still want to be  _ me _ ,’ you say.

‘Yes! That’s what I was getting at,’ Rose says. ‘But actually, I agree with Kanaya. Keep the outfit simple, so it isn’t like you’re trying too hard.’

‘I feel like I’m trying pretty hard!’

Rose ignores you.

‘And we add something quirky because if anyone is to be with you they have to appreciate your quirkiness. Perhaps … Do you have any cat themed jewellry?’

You shake your head.

‘My sister has a lot. I’ll borrow some and bring them to the party. Can I paint your nails rainbow colours?’

‘I don’t wear nail polish,’ you say. 

‘Oh, that’s clever,’ Kanaya says. ‘She’s balancing the outfit that shows off your body with something more innocent. And without needing to cheapen this. Are these all your shoes?’

‘Yes,’ you say.

‘Your feet are too small for either of us to lend you something …’

‘Kanaya, combat boots and a short skirt are a lethal combination and how dare you suggest otherwise.’

Equius pulls your chin towards him so he can look you in the eyes. 

‘You can say no,’ he says firmly.

‘I know! I’m kind of excited!’

He smiles at you and lets you go.

Kanaya does your makeup while Rose paints your nails. You actually have colour on your skin as opposed to the two of them, so Kanaya doesn’t bother with foundation because it would look like you were trying to be a clown. She just gently powders your eyelids with black before lining them and painting your eyelashes. 

Equius reads quietly in the corner while Rose and Kanaya snipe playfully at each other.

‘Oh, like you aren’t curious as to who has caught Nepeta’s eye.’

‘I’m  _ deathly _ curious,’ Kanaya says. ‘But I have some tact.’

‘I have tact, I am  _ overflowing _ with tact. You could place me on a chair as an amusing prank. You could hang posters with me.’

‘That’s a tack, dear,’ Kanaya says, but she laughs, which means that Rose wins that point. ‘You’ve been spending too much time with Dave.’

‘I know,’ Rose sighs. ‘But he keeps listening to my advice regarding Karkat and it’s just entirely too tempting. The opportunities for fucking with him have never been so plentiful.’

Equius coughs.

Rose smirks.

‘Fuck,’ she enunciates clearly. 

‘I wasn’t criticising,’ he says mildly.

‘You were, but that’s fine. You really are doing a lot better.’

‘Thank you,’ he says seriously.

‘How are you going to handle Nepeta wanting to talk to you about seducing someone?’ Rose asks, as if just mildly curious and not trying to get a rise. 

‘He’s asexual not sex-phobic,’ you say. ‘And I don’t think I’m the kind to kiss and tell, anyway.’

‘Oh, darling, the telling is half the fun,’ Kanaya says. 

‘Perhaps if the person you’re kissing is Vriska,’ Rose says with an evil grin. 

‘You were very nearly direct then, Rose, do be more careful.’

Rose throws back her head and laughs. You have no idea how they can be so casual. Everyone knows that Rose likes Kanaya, but somehow through a combination of Rose being “too classy to make a move on a girl who is spoken for”, Kanaya being the last person who would cheat and Vriska being unable to consider a reality in which someone chooses someone else over her, no one seems to mind. 

‘You can gossip with us, Nepeta, we  _ love _ gossip. But we only share it with each other.’

‘It’s true,’ Kanaya says. ‘You can guarantee that if you tell me a secret, I will share it with Rose, but no one else.’

‘Vriska doesn’t care what  _ other _ people are doing,’ Rose says, as if that’s a secret.

Equius laughs. Rose raises her eyebrows, but can’t cover the proud look fast enough. It is an achievement to make Equius laugh out loud, for people that aren’t you. You grin at him to encourage him. 

‘Okay, we need to go so that we have time to get ready. Are you happy?’ Kanaya asks.

You look in the mirror. You look different, but not in a dramatic woah-who’s-in-your-mirror kind of way. Just a bit more grown up. You don’t know if it’s enough to turn a girl gay or anything, but if nothing else it was fun to spend time with girl friends. 

‘I’m happy,’ you say.

‘You should be,’ Rose says, looking over your shoulder into the mirror as well. ‘You look hot.’

You hug them both. Kanaya squeezes you warmly and Rose pats you awkwardly on the back. 

You get to the party with Equius on time. You know that it isn’t exactly the cool thing to do and that Dave is all about being cool, but actually, you would like to see your friends before it gets out of hand. You don’t for a minute think that there’s a possibility of it not getting out of hand. You’ve met Dave’s brother before. 

Dave gives you an awkward half hug when he answers the door and you slap your face with your palm when Equius slaps his hand to Dave’s closed fist in a classic greeting screw-up. He opens the door for you to come in without pushing the issue though, which you’re glad for. Equius is nervous enough about parties. 

‘Damn, Nepeta, you brought your A game,’ Dave says. ‘Like, if Karkat hadn’t literally just schooled me on how it’s bad for me to talk about how hot girls are when I have a boyfriend, I’d be in danger of commenting on how hot you look. Like, if —’

‘Gonna interrupt you there, bro,’ his brother says, clapping him on the shoulders. 

‘You remember Bro and Jake?’ Dave says casually.

‘Hi!’ you say. ‘This is Equius,’ you say, just in case they forgot. 

Jake smiles warmly at you both.

‘Yes, cat-girl and horse-boy, you guys just tell me if you wanna come watch MLP instead of doing this party, I would so be down for that.’

You blush and look at the ground. Equius awkwardly puts his hand on your shoulder in support. 

‘We are happy to be a part of the party,’ Equius says.

‘Alright, my dude, you just let me know if you change your mind, parties suck ass.’

‘This was your idea,’ Dave says.

‘I have many ideas,’ Bro says. ‘Come on, babe, you gotta tell me if I’m overdoing it with the half-naked cowboy theme.’

‘I think the answer to that is probably “yes”,’ Jake says with a sigh and a friendly smile goodbye. 

‘Uh, so Egbert and Karkat are already here,’ Dave says. ‘And there are actually a lot of pictures of almost naked dudes around, sorry about that. If Bro strips later, just make eye contact, he can’t stand that. You want a drink?’

Dave gets you both drinks and takes you to the roof where Karkat and John are lounging on sun chairs.

‘Woah, Nepeta!’ John says. 

There’s only two more chairs, so you sit on Equius’s lap. He’s more okay with PDA in a casual environment than at school.

‘Aw, I could have sat with Karkat,’ Dave says.

‘Or you could have gotten another chair,’ Karkat says. He seems much more relaxed than usual. You see why when he pulls his hand up from where it was dangling out of sight and takes a slow puff on a joint.

‘Are you hogging that?’ Dave asks. ‘I didn’t go out of my way to vaguely ramble to Bro around the subject of weed just to have you steal the whole thing.’

John holds his hand out and Karkat hands it to him. 

‘See,’ Karkat says. ‘I’m sharing. Hey, Nep, can I touch your leg? It looks super soft.’

Equius’s arm tightens around your waist but you giggle.

‘If you go above my knee I’m letting Equius hit you,’ you warn him, holding your leg out.

Karkat struggles to sit up.

‘Okay, I’m gonna go ahead and cut you off for a bit,’ Dave says, helping him. 

Karkat touches your leg idly.

‘You can hit plenty hard on your own,’ Equius says.

‘Smooth,’ Karkat says.

‘I can’t believe you were just telling me off for commenting on the hotness of girls and now this is happening, before my very eyes,’ Dave says.

‘This is for the texture,’ Karkat says indignantly. ‘And besides, I’m gay, Nepeta’s admittedly very aesthetically pleasing and ridiculously soft leg is doing nothing for me. Hey, can I rub my cheek on it?’

You take your calf away from Karkat and giggle. 

‘What did we just walk in on?’ 

You turn and see Rose, Roxy, Kanaya and Vriska approaching. Roxy breaks apart from the pack to crouch before you as Dave starts rambling about legs and mud-flap ladies and how Karkat has gay privileges. You focus on Roxy rather than the debate arising there.

‘Oh. My. Gawd. Nepeta! Rose did not sell this hard enough you are a fuckin’ fox. If I’m the gal you’re tryna seduce consider it mission accomplished, like sah- _ woon _ !’

‘No!’ you say, covering your face with your hands to hide your blush.

‘Aw! Well, that’s okay, I’ll survive, let me just put this kitty cat necklace on you. Mmm! Damn, that finishes the look nicely, never doubt a Lalonde on fashion, chicken, it simply isn’t done! And you just tell me if ya wanna make your gal jealous, I’ll be all over you like sand on a beach!’

Equius chuckles. He likes Roxy, she’s never been mean to either of you. Or anyone, probably. 

‘You know what I’m talkin’ about, big fella.’ Roxy winks. ‘I also offer kissing lessons, that opportunity is open to the both of you, me-yow!’

Roxy jumps to her feet and saunters back to the girls, throwing her arm around Rose’s shoulder casually.

‘Shut up, Davey, I love you, but shut up,’ she says. ‘We brought booze, where d’ya want it?’

Dave leads the sisters to a table on the other side of the roof and you watch as they start pulling bottles out of random items of clothing. You remind yourself for the millionth time that they are not “good” girls. You always seem to forget. 

‘Hey!’ Vriska says, sitting down next to you and drawing your attention away. ‘Is it me?’

You glare at Kanaya as hard as you can. She avoids your gaze but you know she sees you.

‘Kanaya didn’t tell me,’ Vriska says. ‘It was just obvious!’

‘If it’s so obvious then why don’t you know who it is?’ you ask her. You only sound a little bit shrill. You think the only person who doesn’t know you have a crush on someone is John, and John doesn’t know anything.

Vriska laughs as if you’ve said something actually funny. 

‘Alright then, I just thought I’d make sure. I don’t really  _ care _ . Though if you told me who it was I could totally make it happen. I have  _ ways _ .’

‘There’s lipstick on your teeth,’ Equius says, before you can reply.

Vriska closes her mouth immediately.

‘Do you know where the bathroom is?’ Equius asks helpfully. ‘I could show you.’

Vriska narrows her eyes and leaves without saying another word. 

‘Thanks,’ you whisper, leaning back into him. 

He squeezes your waist again.

You sit forward on his knees and follow the conversation for a while. You love your friends and their banter and you love that you’re included in it. Equius even manages to say something once in a while and you get a special kind of proud glow when he makes a joke that everyone laughs at. 

And then you hear Jade’s voice and the world  _ stops _ .

You look over to see her climbing onto the roof, laughing at something Dave’s Bro is saying. She’s so beautiful when she’s laughing. She’s not wearing her glasses, her hair is the smooth kind of curly rather than her usual frizzy kind and the dress she’s wearing clings to her in a way that should be illegal. But more than that, she’s  _ laughing _ , and it lights up her face in a way that is unspeakably beautiful. Your heart thumps all through your body, you can feel your palms and god knows what else sweating and you have the feeling that your face looks all kinds of dopey but you can’t help it. If this is just a crush, you have no idea what love must be like because this just kicks the stuffing out of you.

It seems like eternity before she gets to your group and also way too soon all at the same time. You forget how to breathe and Equius pinches you on the thigh. You slip your hand into his for comfort. Eugh, your hand is  _ so  _ sweaty. You’re lucky Equius doesn’t care about that stuff. 

‘Hi guys!’ Jade says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in a wlw mood, can you tell?


End file.
